By Megan Lambert (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: March 4, 2015
It started as a hashtag: #ufvproblems.
Then the inaugural tweet by UFV Problems (@ufvprobs) came on November 5, 2013: “Hey guys! We are here to bring you the best of the worst of our beloved (hated?) university!”
At time of print, it has over 400 followers keeping up to date on issues, complaints, or quirks UFV students encounter — whether it’s the search for parking on campus or the infamous Tim Hortons line, which has been known to snake its way out of the Peter Jones Learning Commons and onto the Green.
The account is anonymous, and the human behind the hashtag — we’ll use the name Sam — wants to keep it that way.
“I made the account and didn’t tell [anybody]. None of my friends know. Nobody knows,” Sam says. The idea was to create an account to see how many other students go through the same small things on campus.
As it turns out, there are a lot. The account has more than 400 followers, and Sam says the response from students has been positive, even over negative things.
“It’s kind of funny to see the community come together and bond, even though we’re all just random people put together.”
Trying to foster a student community and engagement on campus has been a puzzle at UFV for years. Sam notes that since UFV is a commuter campus, establishing community can be difficult. But even with the bonding happening on Twitter, UFV Problems doesn’t want to join up with institution-run initiatives.
“I don’t want it to be one of those faculty-run, in-your-face, annoying [social media accounts],” Sam says, explaining that if it’s influenced by the institution, the tweets won’t be as funny or relatable.
Like any sensible superhero, Sam will continue acting as campus vigilante under the mask of the account. The account-holder’s identity may be revealed upon graduation, when the search for the right person to carry the torch begins.
In the meantime, Sam’s true identity will remain secret from other students, and will continue to be waitlisted for classes and wait in the cold for a coffee like the rest of us.
“It’s kind of mysterious, but they know I go to UFV and I’m experiencing the same crap they are.”
